The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1887-11-26
A LAW YEk'S STORY.

49, Stbs Y.
..
A LAWYERS STORY.
Twelve weary months had crept by einct
l had passed trying my examination ant
been admitted 10 the bar. l hired a COSY
little oilice in a building filed with scorel
Of prominent law firms. Ate. arrang.
ing my well stocked library, I nailed mp
a now Bign anon" tho rest and waited for
my clients To appear. 1t soon became a
cad trial OF patience.
Among the many brilliant lishIs Of the
day my cwn name papsed nnnoticed.
Day sl!etday, and month after month,
l attended the courts or ppseed tho time
in purcuing celebrated trial cases. Like
Micawbcr, l was waiting Tor something 10
turn up. Tho small capital with which
had started wac d~EiadliDg away at an
alarming pace, and, as yet, l cav no pro.
speC.ive foe.
One pleasant afternoon Stanley Ferris, a
young lawyer, who, like myself, was In.
willingly Idle, dropped In to see me.
"Whst news, JaCk?" ho asked care.
lessly.
Same as usual" I responded despond.
emily. "Tve q notion 10 pack of in the
! wilderness for q few weeks. Everybody
is out OF town, and there is little prospect
OF picking up a fee until they resurn."
My friend was about to reply, when
there came q low rap at the door,
"Come in" l said careleesly, thinking it
come chance acquaintance.
As the door opened my heart gave a
great bound. l found that my long.
looked.ior client had arrived at last. At
a single glance l took in all the details OF
my visitors appearance. Flo was q mid.
dle.aged man, dressed in plain costume,
and seemingly with q g~ooduatured face.
Mort men would have set him down at
once as a jolly, op%en-heSrted individual;
but I did rot. My constant attendance
at the courts had taught me much. There
was something underlying his oily smile
and obeequious manner that made me
distrust him.
us this Mr.. Burns? ?" he asked, blandly.
l bowed in the affirmative, and re.
quented him to be eeated. Stanley left
the room at that moment, and the stranger
continued:
"My name is Brown sir, Martin Brown.
have called upon you in a csso Of emer.
gency."
"In what way can I be OF aeryice2" I
asked.
"My friend, who lie in C dying condition,
wishes you to draw up 8 will at once"
l seized my hat and hurrledly followed
my visitor. In the elegantly furnished
room OF q hotel we found the man.
Owing to tho heavily-darkened room, I
could distinguish nothing of his featurep.
He lay with his lace turned toward the
wall, and in feeble tones dictated the
terms Of the will as l drew it up.
l accomplished my task to his s~atisfac-
ton, and placed the document before him
to sign. As he did 30 l noticed 4 deep
rcd scar running acroas the back OF his
hand. The whole OF the dying mans
p!operty-an immenEe one, by the way
was left to his dear friend Martin Brown.
Two OF the aervants had been called in
to witness the signature, and everything
WAS performed according to law.
AS / left the house the smiling Mr..
Brown handed mo my fec. Il was u beg
carly amount-the more so i,om the fact
that Mr.. Brown was coon to become
wealthy. The mans willy smile, too, while
bis friend lay at the point OF death sick
ened me, and I was glad to hurry away.
On my return l met Stanley, and in an
swer to his inquiries l related the circum.
stances.
IA bcggarly miser," he exclaimed, in
%dignantly, I'D never believed it from his
Rppearaucel"
1t Was nearly q week aftsrward that this
young lady, dressed in deep mourning,
called upon mo. This time l had g case
in reality. She was not more than TWEEN
ty, but her beautiful face bore tho i'm.
press OF deep grief. In q few wordu che
stated her business, retaining the namea
until che had heard my opinion.
Her story was co follows: Three weeks
before her uncle had LETT home in com
pany with a man no called his friend.
When in the city no had bssn taken sud.
denly i'll and died. She had received NO
information Of tho fsct until after her rels.
tive was buried.
Then osme the strangent part Of tho
story.
Two years before her uncle had made q
will, making her, his only living relative,
his sold heiress.
On her arrival in tho city, however, she
had been shown a will drawn up by her
uncle on his death bed, in which he left
his entire property to bio friend.
She could conceive OF no reason for such
a strange act, and dis,rustiug the fraud,
had eougbtout q lawyer. Luckily she was
un%acquainted with the name Of our dis
tlnguishOdlawyors. My glaring good sign
had been the frat TO catch her eye, and
so nhe called on me.
"The case certainly looks Suspicious" ]
remarked. " think l will be able tc
make q fight in your behalf, Now, will
YOU kindly furnish me with the uames O.
these parties2"
My uncle, cir, was Andrew Thurber.
His friend calls hineclf Martin Brown"
1%nvoluntarily my pen dropped from my
surprised fingers. It was the very will
had drawn up myself.
She turned palo ns l related the circum.
stsnccs and rose TO leave.
" see I have made an awkward
mistake IN calling upon YOU" she said,
sadly.
wait one moment,"I replied, quickly,
"This Martin Brown 10 a total stranger
to me. II he has boon engaged in an set
OF villainy I shsll not shield him."
We entered into q cloao conversation, o.
the end OF which I naid, confdentially:
Leave tho case to me. II / fail 1t shal
be through no fault OF mine."
"she accepted my offer with thanks
and left me, thinking deeply.
Duringthe interview l had learned tina
tho deceaued had no scsr upon his righ'
hand. Now, certain OF villainy in the at
fair, I set to work diligently to, hpd 1t out
Working cautiously, l found the mai
who had lain the body ont for burial
From him I learned that he had per
formed his task on the morning of Junt
%, just ten hours after l was called upo,